


Cravings

by UnknownPaws



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Cravings, M/M, Mood Swings, Mpreg, trash, what is this even
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-25 17:05:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4969186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownPaws/pseuds/UnknownPaws
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one was sure when or where it started. But all Barnaby knew was he was the one shot in the saddle, riding alone on this trail with his partner. And truthfully, it was manageable. Except for the complaints, the mood swings and the cravings. Don't even get him started on the cravings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cravings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TiBun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiBun/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I do not own Tiger and Bunny. That is Sunrise. I only explore the possibles...and the trash. 
> 
> PS This probably has no plot so I'm sorry for the garbage beforehand.

No one was sure when or where, even how it happened. Hell, Barnaby wasn't even certain it was his. And yet all fingers pointed his way as if the deed were outlined on his person in bold black ink. In his opinion, it was an unfair vote cast upon him. As far as he could recall, he'd been the most sober man in their group that night ("man" used lightly because Nathan probably the only other sane one there to company him). It had been another annual end-of-season celebration. Someone had spiked the punch, a cliche prank that send his blood boiling these days. Within thirty minutes, almost everyone was tripping and giggling, dancing on two left feet with arms skew and mouths drooling nonsensical words.   
  
He was lucky to have stuck to his rose wine, though he wondered now if that had been spiked too - his vision had been a tad bit dizzier than normal. But Kotetsu was definitely the worst off. Drunk, ditzy and loud, he stumbled around with clothes mused and hair out of place and eyes red in their sockets. A glass of punch clutched in his hand, sobbing over his daughter's stubborn preteen attitude to anyone - fellow parents - who were willing to listen. Barnaby didn't know whether to be scared or laugh at the sight of an intoxicated Lloyds offering parenting advice to the Crusher of Justice, Kotetsu for once hanging onto every word he said.   
  
Regardless, as usual, Barnaby ended up with the short end of the stick and spent the rest of the evening dragging Kotetsu home. He supposed it might have been due to his tired, _slightly tipsy_ mind, or the fact that Kotetsu looked _so damn good_ in the streetlight with his dark hair falling over his tanned face, clothes messy and weepy eyes staring up at Barnaby with the utmost _trust_ -

Ah, perhaps he did recall something of a romp in the back of a bar, Kotetsu sprawled out beneath him like a glorious exotic angel, mewling and pawing at Barnaby with the words "more" fluttering past his rough tongue.

In any case, it didn't matter the pleasure or perks, because all Barnaby knew was he woke up alone and feeling fine in the warm confines of his bed. And not a trace of any occupant to be found (Kotetsu was the messiest sleeper AND house guest). The memory of the night, if it existed at all, was forgotten in the span of two hours flat through piled paperwork and interviews.   
  
Except when Kotetsu came to him three months later after work and spoke the two words that made him fall flat on his back in a dead faint: "I'm pregnant". So began a long, tiresome battle of proof, DNA tests, tears, accusations followed by apologies (and dinner at a nice place, which Kotetsu so kindly christened by vomiting all over the bathroom floor), tears and hugs, Kaede screaming at them (him mostly) over the phone on three separate occasions, Kotetsu's _mother_ threatening to chop both their balls off, Kotetsu's brother offering Barnaby sympathy (which he took with gratitude after having his nerves shot by the scary Anju), reassuring Kaede, deciding to have Kaede live with them, arrangements made for work and Hero duties, doctor's appointments, pediatrician appointments, NEXT specialist appointments, Kotetsu getting fined after breaking a window in a mood (on purpose), and Barnaby having to deal with the sudden prospect of being a father.

And he found it wasn't so bad - to a degree. Living with Kotetsu (after receiving various threats from Anju if he dared to ditch his partner with the baby) turned out to be tolerable. Despite the mess, the man was willing to share the household chores and even assist Barnaby with his own (a step up from his attitude in the office). Food was a small argument that resolved in comprise. Barnaby was all okay with being cuddled in his sleep (even if Kotetsu crushed him these days). Truthfully, Kotetsu himself wasn't the problem - it was the pregnancy infecting him.   
  
The complaints were annoying, even though Barnaby could barter with that considering his partner's state. The mood swings were awful; Kotetsu was a hot-blooded person by nature, but being pregnant had turned him into a walking volcano. Twice Barnaby had to call for repairs to the roof because Kotetsu had lost it and jumped straight through the ceiling. And the cravings... don't even talk to Barnaby about the cravings.   
  
He was fine with pizza and rice, but churros mixed with anchovies?   
  
What was worse - as the months progressed, Kotetsu found the need to eat more to sustain the life within, and at the most inconvenient times. Namely, at exactly three in the morning every single night, he awoke Barnaby to run down to the corner store to fetch him some ice cream or what not.   
  
Tonight was no different, Kotetsu having roused Barnaby from rest with an impatient look and a need for hotdogs and sour cream. Normally, Barnaby would have snapped at him. Normally, he would have ignored the man and left him to get it on his own.   
  
But this situation was far from normal and Kotetsu was a walking tank twenty five pounds overweight and a temper thinner than tissue paper.   
  
So with a resigned sigh and a quick grab of his coat - he never bothered to dress properly anymore - Barnaby found himself out in the snow on a cold December night heading towards the corner store at the end of the street. Snow fluttered down from the clouds to touch his ruffled blond curls, the golden glow of the streetlamps his only guide at three in the morning. It was silent, peaceful - no one was ever out this late. Hell, before all this, even Barnaby never stepped outside at this hour. But this was the price to pay for an old man complex and misunderstanding about NEXT abilities mixed with no condoms.   
  
His feet crunched the snow beneath him as he stepped up into the entrance way of "Bronze Bargains", a typical chain found distinctly in the Bronze Stage of Sternbild. The owner gave him a knowing, sympathetic look when he entered, hair askew and coated with white flakes. Barnaby shuffled up to the counter, mumbled his ridiculous order, and kept himself awake through reading the brands of candy bars sitting lonesome under the counter. The shopkeeper returned moments later, Barnaby pressing the money into his hand and mumbling to keep the change as he wandered back out into the snow with his purchase.   
  
Kotetsu was waiting for him when he got in. He looked starved, and Barnaby couldn't help but pity him. He was stuck indoors these day with twenty pounds of weight in his belly and his back thrown out because of it. He was bored, cranky and sore, and could barely last three hours without needing to eat lest he pass out from hunger. This was no condition made for men, and yet here they were -living proof of the impossible. Barnaby supposed that was what made the whole situation possible for them entirely. Kotetsu struggled up from the couch when he saw Barnaby enter, waddling over eagerly like a dog veering for a treat, looking up at his husband with desperate eyes.   
  
Barnaby granted him a kiss to his cheek before retreating to the kitchen to prepare the offerings to the Tiger. Midway through cooking, he paused when something heavy and bulging pressed up against his back. Kotetsu nuzzled his shoulder, face buried into the crook of his neck with a happy sigh, and Barnaby could only smile. Touch the hands holding his waist, fingers brushing over two rings of silver, and realize that no words were needed at all.

Kotetsu ate happily, devouring the (disgusting) concoction of processed meat and dairy. Barnaby sat beside him on the couch, staring down at the belly containing his child. A little flicker across the surface made his heart flutter with anticipation. Kotetsu barely batted an eye when Barnaby's hand found itself resting just above his navel. The baby's soft kicks made the situation all the more _real_ , and Barnaby wondered briefly if this was a natural feeling of excitement and attachment mixed with pure terror and denial.  
  
Either way, it was too late to back out. Barnaby knew that much by this point.  
  
He helped Kotetsu up the stairs, the pregnant man almost purring in contentment and gratitude for the food. Climbing into bed, Barnaby rolled over to find Kotetsu staring at him. The honey amber eyes blinked slowly, like a cat, and the soft smile implanted on Tiger's face was enough to ease Barnaby's worries for the night and lull him to sleep. They didn't have much time left, but Barnaby figured that if they were going down a rocky path, at least he had Kotetsu's hand to hold the entire way.   



End file.
